Sometimes, free speech isn't exactly free.
Case in point: Last week, dozens of Wichita tea party protesters ended up owing a $35 parking fine to the government they were there to protest.
Municipal Court records show that at least 71 tickets were issued around City Hall during the April 15 rally on Central between the city building and the Sedgwick County Courthouse.
The tickets were all entered by officers using handheld computers. The number could climb as hand-written parking tickets are logged into the system this week, court officials said.
Forty-five of the tickets were written for parking at the Rounds & Porter Building, an old warehouse that Wichita police use for evidence storage.
The large, city-owned parking lot is at the southwest corner of the section of street where the demonstration was held. Entrances are marked with signs that read: "city permit parking only, unauthorized parking is prohibited." The signs also warn that violators could be towed.
Read the complete story at kansas.com